Merced Sun-Star from Merced, California • 21

i tf 1 HUUM LEAGUE BASEBALL PAGE D2 shortstop Bobby Crosby continues a long tradition of greatness by being named the AEs Rookie of the 'Year Standingsschedules -D2 NBA D3 College Hoops Dj FIEJWSUTE K' (V 'f S- 1't Sv know theway f' 1 Sports Desk: 384-2221 Tuesday November 'aia MEHMSHN-CTAH if vff PREP VOLLEYBALL ksYr a tr H'g '41 1 fi 5 fer a ariy on there al-Yfl-way seems to be postseason op turns for Fresno why this season mSSSl was feeling so much like last season and the fe several before that craaiucjuc uiau--'Y f-tA-Cik When the preferred optioner gt went down flaming with a loss tat Louisiana Tfechlast month Mi I and the Bowl Championship Series became someone elaeh it looked as if the best-'f case scenario Was (yawn) a fifth f8 I consecutive trip to San 1-: Silicon Vklley Football Classic SQrbe justmaybe the Bull-S are being unleashed from their usual fettr Fresno State playing again $5 like a deserving bowl teaniYi may find its way out of San JoseSs And a season that has that miliar lingering feeling of appointment may have an inter eating twist at the end after Ifpdaybe a bowl in San FrandsL co on Dec 30? Or Christmas Eve in Honolulu? Fresno State bad ftarredRke 52-21 Saturday with i a dizzying display of big plays weekearlier Fresno State de-31 i si ri against Vacaville Tb get there Golden Valley will host Na 9 Bella Vista (Fair Oaks) cm Vfednesday in a quarterfinal match Bella Vista which knocked off fecaville 3-2 Monday night lost to Vintage of Napa in last year's Division II title match The Cougars limited their mistakes against the W)lves Tuesday Vfoodland played like the 7-12 team it is not our normal passing performance" Wblves coach Brian Livings said "I think we played a little tight and we got frustrated toward the end of the game Just too many unforced The Cougars jumped out to big leads in all three games and faced little resistance all night We know a whole lot about KE COUGARS MCE D2 By Shawn Jansen The Golden Valley High volleyball team moved one step closer to their goal another trip to UC Davis The topseeded Cougars opened the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II Playoffs Monday night with a 25-19 25-9 25-18 victory over No 16 Wx)dland at Cougar Arena The win means Golden Valley (18-2) is one win away from a semifinal berth and its third trip to Davis in school history said Cougars senior Nicole Sandino who led her team with nine kills four blocks and eight digs "Vifc want to get there so bad Especially the ones that been there" Only seniors Sandino and Sarah Ihcke were on the 2002 team that reached the section title game IUMTM PHOTO IV CONE MMSOMU) GoMes VnBeys Askky Uvssey istsms the bal aa Monday afaisst Wsodtad is a first-rosad SaenJoaquh SsctiM DhMoi wtch In MmcmL WHERE ARE THEY NOW? GIESEL AND STEITZ reunion for Los Banos duo hocked Southern Methodist 42 Those kinds of victories iu) matter the opponent will PpstwBaatmoorfoMY iThe S3 Bulldogs win be stmiB favorites to win their final three nmes If they dthqr might be in the unusual situaA tk of having a few bowls fight jover Thatb in laige part due to the bowl picture whidtfn the IMksMmXhleticOmferentll Delton Lowery Sfc-' il THELOSIANOSINTEimSI Pac-10 il THE LOS BANOS INTEIPtlSE PREP ROUNDUP Playoffs setfor 3 more nJ Dmpavitstoaajr wherebefywdDnvouu iK and Some confetyJIbA ences such as the Pac-10 and til theBiglZbly filial llotments The Big East and At-Iflantfe Coast conferences might ilhave extra bowl-eligible tewa'i would not rule out Fresno' f-M somewhere? pbesidmoonVMkafWcomL 4 misskmer Karl Benson said durYSl And bells rang and fireworks erupted in Fresna FremSttteirouldlmfogo somewhere elst No offense San Josebut Fresno State its wm I playKS and its far are beyond infeed of ending every season BERKELEY There was a time when Jonathan Giesel and Nick Steitz both donned Los Banos High football uniforms together My how things have changed by fast-forwarding five years The former Tiger teammates have found themselves in a position they never could have imagined that final Los Banos fall together in 1999k As fifth-year seniors cm full scholar ship playing in the Pac-10 -on opposing sidelines Saturday Oregon vs Cal thriller was the backdrop for their reunion of sorts Cal with Giesel helping lead the way up front came from behind to nip Steitz and the Ducks 28-27 think said Giesel who starts at left guard "While (Steitz) was in and I was on the sideline I was going for him and when I was in he was cheering for me" Fittingly Steitz also starts at left guard was just rooting for him to do well have a good game and stay injury Steitz said the (Ore-gon) offensive and defensive linemen knew Johnny was my boy I made sure of that The pair of Hger alums each fill large roles for their respective teams both literally and figuratively Each has filled out nicely by Division I football standards in the 6-foot-4 309pound range The win kept Cal currently 5-1 in the Pac-ld 7-1 overall and ranked Na 5 in the Associated Press Tbp 25 poll in the running for a prestigious Bowl Championship Series invitation Meanwhile Oregon (4-2 5-4) still remains one win away from becoming KE HUMOR PAGE By James TenNapel JTENNAPELMtEBCEDSUKATALCOM After splitting their two Trans-Valley League matches again this year Hilmar and Livingston were very much in the thick of another playoff race Hilmar beat Livingston 3-0 while die Wdves returned the favor in the rematch 2-0 The split left the two teams with idoitical 104 TVL marks and well behind champion Patter arm With only two teams moving on Livingston was left home for the postseason Again Last year the margin was three goals This time it was onegoaL One goal as in three total for Hilmar and two total for Livingston in head-to-head matches "Obviously very evenly Livingston athletic director Dean Way said a pretty tough way for our kids to be left out of the playoffs 1 They wanted it pretty The Yellowjackets open Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV first-round play today by KEPUYUFRPNGEDZ 15 same way in a game that le special evT5Wjl r4 Did someone say Begin in San Fnuiciaco the most realistic escape route Silll from San Jose The Mountain Conference will send one taun-Wyoming isa S'plwed at SBC Park on Dec 30 IfeThe Pac-10 ranbaUy wonYhawe pFateammsndeqxcialifUSC pp Hmmm What other Wfest If Coast school might bring fens toSan Francisco? Abowl font and FnesnoState wants something different Vs' -4 C9 The biggest isdue is what to do with the Silicon Vhlky ClaYl ric It could be left without Fresno Stated the only reason the bowl has survived this long 4 and without a Pac-10 team -m But Silicon officials I keep using Fresno State as a crutch not fair to the BuR-mI 1 dogs mpedajr if it keeps them from other postseason fc- possibilities VbV 1 Tfexas-El Pasa sittmg In sec-ond place in the WAC might step in fix' Fresno State And the Mountain Wfest could have another bowteligible team Air Force or New Mexico to h' serve as an opponent i Qf course Fresno State could 'f greatly help its ticket to Hon- -M olulu by beating those very Rainbow Warriors mi Friday at Bulldog Stadium 3 uuuug giMumuk i And more importandy '-01 iff EMQTOIY BELTON LOWEM CaTi Jonitiui Giesal and Orsfort Nick Steitz an former Us Bams High tsauutes whs Han trewn Inti pswrfsl Pac-10 pulling guaidt Each now topi WooM ud 300 pousdi NFL Manning Colts back to their winning ways kickoff return that set up a field goal The defense which allowed 45 points and 590 yards in Kansas City last week surrendered only 17 points and 292 yards "Our defense did an excellent job slowing than down at said Manning who has 26 TD passes this season three short of his output all of last year Added coach Tbny Dungy "We SEE COLTS PAGEN Monday night The kick capped a late duel between Manning and Daunte Culpepper the teams combined to score on five straight possessions after an unexpectedly low-scoring start between two offense-minded but relatively defenseless teams Still it was the Colt? special teams as much as the defense that allowed the Vikings to stay in the game giving up a 91-yard punt return for a touchdown to Nate Burleson and a 51-yard By Dave Goldberg THBAHOCLniDnUHl INDIANAPOLIS Even with Peyton Manning's usual heroics and an unusually decent effort from their defense the Indianapolis Colts still needed Mike leg Manning threw four touchdown passes and Vanderjagt kicked a 35-yard field goal with 2 seconds left to give the Colts a 31-28 win over Minnesota on out from there14 Tbt Frmo Btt McClottby-owmd i tisttr toper to Tbt Stm-Sur Tim cm nacbbm taiisapolii Coirs Ucksr Mfei Vkadarfagt (13) csfo-fcrates wttk punter Hunter SnHh (17) VsneterJact booted As powwimlnf field goal to beat the VMnp Ej Aetui f-i vis 1 a IWBkilMWi i1 I.